Are you financially ready to have children?

MANILA, Philippines – Planning on having kids soon? What steps are you taking to prepare for their arrival?

As soon as a baby is on its way, parents create lists for all sorts of things: names, room decorations, ninongs and ninangs – not to mention their dreams and aspirations for their future kid (Will she/he be a doctor? A pilot? Or the future president?).

These days, it can be expensive to have kids. Aside from the immediate cost of childbirth, there are tuition fees, living expenses, and medical emergencies to think about. Moreover, you usually have to multiply everything in a span of 18-20 years, or until the child graduates from college.

Increase your chances of being financially prepared by saving and investing as early as you can. The costs can be overwhelming but it doesn’t need to be. There are many investment options to help you prepare for the needs of your child in different life stages.

To help you visualize, here’s a list of some major child-related expenses:

Take a look at your finances now. How much are you earning? How long are you planning to work? Is what you earn and what you save every month enough to raise kids until college?

If you compute for the total of these typical expenses, it’s easy to reach the millions mark. For some, it can seem like a daunting – and impossible – figure.

But should you give up on planning to have kids? No! As any parent would tell you, they’ll be more than worth it. Kids are one of life’s biggest blessings. They’re also the biggest investment you could ever make – and the returns will never be fully quantifiable in any monetary amount.

Maximize what you have today by investing in different financial products. Depending on your goals, and how soon you would need the income, there’s a mutual fund or investment plan that will suit you.

As long as you prepare well, save properly, and invest early, then you shouldn’t have to worry about securing your family’s future. – Rappler.com

COL has made it easier than ever for busy parents to start investing. With COL’s user-friendly platform, you can start investing in the stock market today. Visit their official website to know more. You can also check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.